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It's totally doable but you're going to have to work your ass off to prepare.

First things first: Find a ticket. Obviously.

Don't freak out about finding a camp. You don't need one to thrive out there. If you find a good one, that's fantastic, but really, don't stress. Your neighbours will be super great no matter where you wind up, and they'll help you out with anything you need. Also, odds are good that if you don't find a camp before you get out there, you stand a good chance of being invited to move in with one in pretty short order.

How are you getting there? You already have transport arranged? Is that how I'm reading that? If so, how much room is there in the vehicle for your gear?

Do you have any camping gear? A tent (teeny is fine - you won't be spending much time in it) is a must unless (and this can and is totally done out there) you want to risk hopping from tent to tent with random folks you meet out there. On that note, take condoms. Don't trust the other person to be safe/prepared/sober enough to think it through/etc.

The below assumptions are based on you going solo:

The mandatory packing list (off the top of my head - I'm sure I'm going to miss some bits) to survive:

Shelter

Water (minimum 1 gallon/day for drinking. These things are great: http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Poly-Bagged-Carrier-Collapsible/dp/B001QBZI90 and run $8-$10 at your local army surplus store) Also, canteens/bottles to carry water around with you. It super sucks a: to run out of water far from home, and b: to haul around a 5-gallon bladder of water. Comical to everyone around you, sucky for you.

Food. Particularly because you're doing this last-minute, I recommend canned food (don't forget a can opened :D ) - I'm a huge fan of spaghetti-o's and fruit cup type things - single-serving/meal-sized. Tins of chicken and some crackers are a good plan if you're desperate for protein, but so are big bags of jerky. Anything non-perishable. Also quick and slow energy snacky things like trail mix/nuts/etc. Don't bring chocolate or anything else that will melt. Oranges will happily survive out there, however. Note that your appetite will probably be greatly diminished. Don't try to do anything super fancy.

Loose-fitting light-colored clothing. A hat/shade thing. Goggles (dust storms). A dust mask/bandanna/related, again for the dust storms.

Lights - a flashlight (ideally super light that can be thrown around your neck on a string) and some form of illumination for your person so art cars will see you and not run your ass over.

A cup.

Everything else is convenience/luxury.

Very nice to have:

A <$100 playa bike with a couple of blinky lights for visibility.

A shade structure. Don't panic on this one. Everyone around you will have shade, and everyone's always willing to share.

Take a couple of bottles of booze to share with the neighbours. That's always appreciated and a great icebreaker. Note: ice is available for sale out there; don't try to bring your own :D

I'll think of more later, but in the meantime, read these:

http://burningman.com/first_timers/

http://burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/

Oh yeah, and if you're soloing, finding a place to camp is daunting. Here's how it works: After queueing to gate, handing over the ticket, getting the car searched, etc, you will be molested by your very own greeter. Greeters are awesome. If you have a cold beer in the car with you, give it to your greeter. Give your greeter a big hug :D

After greeting, you'll drive (SLOW DOWN!) toward the outer rim of the city (back, center) and you'll run into a fork in the road. Choose a path. I plan to choose left. Drive along a couple of long blocks until you decide it's the right time to turn into the city proper. Do so. (SLOW DOWN!) Keep going. Turn left or right wherever feels right. Try to do it at an intersection, however. Amble about a bit more. Turn again. Go see what up that street over there. Eventually, you'll find a spot that seems right to you. Pull in, park, get out of the car, look around, panic a little, and start setting up your camp right on the edge of the street Follow the lead of everyone around you. Secret: a lone female will probably get extra offers of help from everyone nearby. Use it. Make friends. Dish out some of the aforementioned booze you brought along.

Once you're settled enough to feel like you have a place to sleep later on: Depending on the time of day, strap on some lights, and strike off down your street toward the port-a-potties. You MUST learn where they are. pre-dawn bathroom trips super suck when you don't know where the bathrooms are. Then go back to your camp because it'll be farther away than you thought. Get a sense of what's around you. MAKE A BIG NOTE OF YOUR STREET AND TIME. Then go back to the porta potty intersection (that's your first landmark) and head toward the Man. You'll be able to see him.

Once you get to esplanade/open playa, walk out 100 yards or so, turn around, and figure out where you just came from. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. THIS IS HOW YOU GET HOME LATER. From there, fuck off and have a great time.

And don't lock your keys in the car. Srsly.

These cooling towels are AWESOME. They are made of a material that water soaks into, but doesn't come out of easily. This means they hold a ton of water, stay wet for ages, and don't get anything touching them wet at all (so you don't get an irritated neck like you do from wearing a wet towel). Seriously if you wet one of these and give it a squeeze, you'll be amazed by how much water comes out. They dry stiff, so make sure to fold them up neatly while they're still wet. Highly, highly recommended.

Shemaghs make great dust masks, head scarves, and hats. There is a reason these things are so popular in the desert. Lots of colors too.

These are the disposable dust masks to get. For a proper whiteout, they offer better filtration/protection than a bandana, and the valve means you can actually wear them for more than five minutes without suffocating. They come in little individually wrapped packs, which mean they're great for gifts (although I'd unwrap the ones you aren't planning to carry around as a gift at home).

Not prime, but free shipping, and if you order now they'll get here: goggles. Comes with a day and night set, inexpensive and highly recommended. These are my go-to utility goggles.

These personal misters are good. They aren't durable, so don't count on it lasting more than a year, but they're much more compact than the big garden sprayers.

If you feel the need to own a Soviet Russian spec gas mask, amazon has one for 10 bucks. Protip: that bag it comes with is the perfect size to stick a 1 gallon waterbottle (the kind with the peice of tape a handle, not the ones with the handle built into the bottle) to turn it into a canteen.

If you enjoy biking, and tend to wear boots, wide, grippy pedals are great bike upgrade. I was really suprised at the difference they made for stability and my ability to comfortably put power to the ground. I went for these ones that were on sale last year (not prime), but the shape is what matters from what I can tell, so any ones like that with the grip nubs should be good. There are cheaper ones made of plastic, but I find plastic pedals crack on the playa way too easily, and a decent set of metal ones was worth the investment.

Pump

Pump upgrade This one really moves some water! You will need to increase your tubing/tee size from 3/8" to 1/2".

Jungle Special, good to have a spare.

Media Confirm size!! These come cut in various sizes. One of them goes all the way around the inside of the bucket. I like this media better as it allows better air flow. But you need to make a cage out of chicken wire to hold it up when its wet. Like a tubular filter cartridge. It can be found in pre-cut panels like the poly pads too.

Fan Get a spare, along with the pump. Pre-wired for quick change out if needed. If you don't have spares, you will need them. If you do, you never use them. :)

Flex Duct This can be 'shaped' to fit around the fan mounted on top of the lid. Its 5" duct. Kind of an 'off size' but works great for this. Some duct tape and you're all sealed up. Gently bend to the desired direction, wrap with a towel or bubble wrap for some insulation if you like. It comes compressed length wise at 29". It can be expanded to 8ft! Handle with care while shaping 'a square' to fit around the fan. And again when setting the direction you want it pointing. Cut to length if needed.

• A five gallon paint bucket with lid
  
• 3/8" ID Tubing.
  
• A 3/8" Barb Tee.
  
• Some wire & crimp terminals 3ft should do it.
  
• Switches for the pump and fan if desired.
  
• Deep cycle battery.
  
• Solar panel and charging controller.
  
• Or other 12VDC power source.
  
  I made a bin style cooler for last year. (It is FigJam inspected and approved! :) )But I used it for grey water evaporation. Used two of the big pumps and two fans. It held 6gals & would evap 2gals/hr in the heat of the day! 1-1.5gal/hr the rest of the time. Building a trash bin style for this year. It will have a 24"tall x15" dia 'cylindrical cage' for the media and an 8" radiator fan. Basically an upsized FigJam cooler but for grey water evap. The Bin is for sale.
  
  
  

Anything that has padding. I made the mistake first year of getting costume goggles like this, thinking they could be my main goggles. That was a mistake. I wore them for like 5 minutes and they were horrible. Now I only wear them on my head, for looks.

Same year, I also got these. They worked just fine, but I did lose a lens by the end of the week. It was nice that it came with both the clear and tinted, so that I could have a backup pair, as well as having a pair for day and night.

Second year I got a couple cheaper pairs like this thinking they were similar to the Red Barons. Those sucked too. The tiny bit of foam made them uncomfortable. They touched my eyes. I gave them away. At least someone else was happy to have them.

Then I got a pair like this like this (can't find the exact same ones but very similar). They were actually like... surprisingly good, even for the price. Comfy, and they feel relatively strong. They are cheap, but have lots of padding and good coverage. They have some vents (most goggles do) but I just covered them with a little tape. I ordered a bunch more on Ebay/Ali this year for like $4 to give away, they all seem to be pretty much the same thing.

You can definitely get better ones; I've been on a budget so I haven't really been able to justify spending $50 on a couple pairs of goggles. Basically any ski, snowboard, or motorcycle goggles would be fine.

Not everyone wears goggles, but I would recommend having them anyways until you know for sure if you need them. I personally wouldn't spend too much on them, just make sure they have padding, and I would get one clear pair and one tinted pair (day and night).

Sure! For starters I spent months researching eplaya and elsewhere on the web. There are some companies that sell turn-key systems, like Goal Zero, that seem crazy over-priced. I told myself I would’t charge anything to my CC and I’m pretty good at figuring shit out, so I wanted to take a cheaper route. I wanted avoid soldering a bunch of Chinese stuff together if I could. Once I figured out what I needed, I had to look for components…

Panel - I looked at everything from 5 watt panels for fountain pumps to big ass 100 watt panels. I am flying from the East Coast so I needed something portable. I was thinking I need 20 watts to be comfortable, so I looked for 30+ watt folding panels. A cherry-on-top feature would be both AC and DC power. I committed to a DC cooler system but it would be nice to charge phones and power banks too. If I am going to spend some cash, I don't want a single purpose device. I came across SunKingdom early on but the panels were mad expensive. Almost like Goal Zero expensive. Then one day out of the blue this guy popped up on sale! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTAFEJ6/ref=s9_hps_bw_g107_i4

I got it for $79! Very happy with it so far. I’ve used it several times already.

Charge Controller - This was pretty simple. I found one that could handle the load, was easy to use AND had two USB outs for good measure. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018ICLC3K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I must confess I don’t know how to “use” it. I plugged it in and it does what I need it to do for now. It has some really shitty instructions (none) so I hope I don’t need to figure out how to do something else with it.

Battery - I am going to buy a 100+ ah battery in Reno but I needed something to test with. I found this 12 v 12 ah battery on sale at Radio Shack for like $12. She told me it was for a discontinued Verizon cable box.

Bucket - I have a few Home Depot buckets around the house as a matter of course. I cut two rows the first time and decided I’d rather have one row of squared off holes instead of two rows of round holes. This way I get a lot of airflow and maximize the water holding capabilities of the bucket. I can probably fit another .75 gallons in my bucket with one row of holes.

Padding in the bucket - Went with FIGJAM’s suggestion for $22. It comes with two in case you fuck one up. Cut to FIGJAM’s spec and adjust as needed but give yourself an extra inch in all measures and fine tune from there. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UTNFPW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pump - I was told 60 gallons per hour (GPH) was good enough so I bought this for $10: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JWJIC0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At first I didn’t think it was powerful enough but I had a dead ass battery. After I charged it up, this little guy acted like a freshman going to prom with the homecoming queen. It squirts quite well. I bought 2 more as back up.

Tubes - I bought some tubbing at Home Depot and experimented. It’s took a few rounds of $5 tubes to figure out the spacing of the holes. I heated up a nail on my stove to poke holes in the tubes. Ended up with nice, clean holes.

Fan - VERY IMPORTANT PART - IF YOU CAN’T MOVE AIR, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS My smaller 4 person tent does’t need much so I thought a 150 cubic foot per minute (CFM) fan would be fine. I wasn’t crazy about the horsepower of my first fan that was $8: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0099TTAIG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So I ordered a 200 CFM fan for $18: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054S92FW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Again, I charged the battery and got MUCH better performance from the 150. However the 200 makes me feel like I ate a York Peppermint Patty so I am using it and taking the 150 as back up.

Connectors

• All “raw” cables get connected via these $5.55 things that are very easy to hook up. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015OCV5XO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  My pump and fan need to go to one line so I got this for $4.38: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Q8IKRE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  The “watch this” moment comes by the way of this $6 switch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G6GNREI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  I think that is everything. Now I need to figure out how to get a big ass battery from Reno to the Playa on Saturday, pre-gate. I can probably use my camps local asset or ask someone driving in.
  

I used the lovemonkey plans, but they seem mostly the same as the site you listed. I've brought the same setup out since 2012. Here's my tips.

Set this up in advance before you get on the playa at least once. It's easy to do, but make sure in advance you have all the parts and everything fits ok. It makes on playa setup a ton easier if you've done it before.

Bring a tape measure and a long piece of rope (over 20').

Set your golden spike. This is the keystone piece of rebar. From there find the angle you want the hut to run, and set a second set of rebar far out from the keystone along that angle. (distance doesn't matter, it's just for the rope to attach to so you get a nice straight line.

Along the rope, measure in 5' (or just slightly under) increments and pound in the rebar. Get one line set with as many spikes as you have ribs for the hut. Put half your ribs over the rebar as you do this, to prevent accidental rebar injuries. Bonus points if while setting up in advance, you mark out your rope with pieces of tape so you don't have to measure it on playa, you can just pound rebar at the rope's tape marks knowing they are the right distance.

After you get one half set, measure the proper width you want (some people use 12', some less. Depends on how big you want your arch to be). This is your second keystone. Go out to the other end and measure 12' out again (or whatever width you settle on). Pull the rope so your line is straight, double check on a few existing ribs that the rebar to rope is the proper width, and then repeat the first process to get the other half of the wall. Again, put the ribs on as you do this so you don't accidentally trip over rebar and injure yourself. It happens.

So now you have two walls of white PVC pointing up in the air. Pull them down and connect them following the instructions from the site you listed.

Once you pull your tarp (or aluminet or whatever you use) up and over, pound in extra rebar so EVERY SINGLE EYEHOLE in the tarp has a piece of rebar lined up with it. You should already have a ton of ball bungees ready to go. Attach the rebar to the tarp using these. Every single one. It gets windy as fuck out there, and properly securing down your tarp is critical to not worrying about that shit blowing away. You want it snug, but not overly tight. Let it have a little play so the bungees can do their thing. Same for the bungees holding together the horizontal pieces of the ribs along the spine. What makes these huts work so well is they move a bit with the wind.

Finally, get one of these. It will fucking save your life. Best money I ever spent.

/edit. My hut is 30' long. If I need it shorter I just build less ribs and pull the excess tarp in on one side. The first year I did end ratchet straps to hold down the mouth on each end, but these days I just make sure I'm angled sideways to the wind and rebar the shit out of the sides of the tarps, it's been fine. I use a giant 12'x30' silver tarp. I thought silver would reflect the heat. The problem is the inside of the tarp is black, so it gets toasty inside, especially when the wind is calm. I'd replace it with something cooler, but tarps are fucking expensive, and I'm a cheap bastard.

OMG excellent tips. Thank you so much. I really feel a lot more comfortable about my ability for success on this project with your tips. I do have a few questions.

1. I ordered two pumps (1 as theoretical back up arriving from China sometime between August 17 and Sept 2). Both seem comparable from a L/Hr standpoint they used but presumably too weak per your rec. Since you are speaking from experience I may return the solar powered one since I realize a battery will be necessary and get the one you suggested..and it will be too weak.
   http://www.harborfreight.com/solar-powered-fountain-pump-66093.html and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JWJIC0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   Have you used the one you recommended in a similar cooler? Or just did a quick Amazon search? Do you think the 170GPH would be the best option? Or would the 60GPH or 140GPH be sufficient?
   
   

2. Thanks for confirming.
   
   
3. Makes sense. Did you use any specific sealer on the section above the fan?
   
   
4. Makes sense.
   
   Originally I was thinking of calculating out the amps of fan/pump and hoping it lasts for the week. Then recharging with the battery with my car if there was a miscalculation. What are your thoughts on this? Think i should just get a panel to top it off on a regular basis?
   Any recommendations on a panel or battery? I've read quite a few posts/blogs with recommendations but curious about what you think.

• Tent fan. I went pro my first year and won't go back. 60 bucks is worth it. Course, then I had to buy a deep cycle battery, but it lasted all week (and a half). Plus it was awesome for the one year I did exodus (11 hours....you know what year it was). We could avoid using the blowers in the car and instead just used the fan to keep us from dying.
  
  
• Fuck air mattresses. Fuck them in their little air hole. Foam is the way to be. I have a four inch full sized foam mattress that folds up, and yes, it's a bear to transport because of how much size it takes up, but I live on playa for three weeks. This thing is the ultimate luxury. I then place it on a "queen" sized Coleman cot. It's a full size cot that holds a queen size air mattress on it, and man it was loud. Much better with the foam. Seriously, sex on that thing was like sex on a megaphone.
  
  
• Someone else mentioned it, but a sheet covering your bed during the time you are not sleeping in it is wonderful. Do you know how many times a day you say, "oh shit, I forgot [something dumb] in my tent, better go in!" If you have a raised bed, especially, you'll more than likely lean in the door of your tent and put your hand down on the bed and bam playa bed.
  
  
• Someone also already said this (I think) but I take two sets of plastic drawers with me instead of bins for my smaller items. It's so much more fun to root around in a clear drawer than in an opaque bin. All my shit lives in those during the year, so if I randomly decide I need something from my burning man kit, I can grab it.

No Steven is definitely not family. He used to be the editor of the Bay Guardian and came up under Tim Redmond and therefore had great access to Larry. His political beliefs are pretty out there (no surprise) but he is a nice guy and he writes well. The Tribes of Burning Man is a pretty good read.

So, here is what I did. First time burner. I ordered a bunch of EL Wire off of Amazon for cheap (exact pack I got: http://www.amazon.com/Neon-Glowing-Strobing-Electroluminescent-Wires/dp/B003J9BD50/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312231941&sr=8-4), and then went through the womens sections in a bunch of different stores. Why Women's? Because, for some reason, their clothes are more fun. At Old Navy I got an XXL Womens Turtleneck and a damaged v-neckish jacket thing. I turned the Jacket into a vest. I got 3/4 of a yard of Fur from Jo Anns, took some old pants, turned them into fur pants with fabric glue (It's really easy, honestly. Cut some fur off the yard, put glue on it, put on pants). And then, I went to Goodwill and got some more womens clothing... A long Zebra jacket that I'm gonna put EL Wire on, a small fur vest, and some white beach pants.

My outfits, basically, are -

All White fur Pants + Turtle neck + Fur Vest = Nighttime Party time
Zebra Print Jacket + Fur Pants = Zesty Night Funtastic Bombastic
Jacket-turned Vest + Sleeves from it on legs = Halfnaked Daytime Fun
Beach Pants + Jacket turned Vest = Slammin Not-naked daytime Adventuretime

I just made up those names on the spot... but you get the picture. It's pretty easy. I put the leftover fur on my bike, and on my goggles, and I still have some left. I think I'll just put it randomly on some clothes. I use the EL Wire + safety pins to highlight my clothes.

Double edit: Ask your female friends if you can raid their closets for burning man gear. Chances are, if your friends are awesome, they'll get totally excited and give you a bunch of ridiculous shit. Also, they'll probably want to get drunk and dress you up in stupid shit. It's win-win. Get out of your comfort zone! I did. It's my first burn, FUCK IT!

I have lots of stupid little things that make my time nicer. One of the things that I learned that helps quite a bit is methods for managing your cooler.

• have a decent, well insulated cooler and keep it in the shade.
  
• have a couple of lidded containers that are wide and flat that can float on top of the ice and water in your cooler. Put your leftovers and open packages in these.
  
• have everything else in the cooler be in completely water tight containers that can be fully immersed in water (ie vacuum sealed or with water tight lids). Let the melt water completely cover everything that isn't floating on top.
  
  In this manner there are no warm spots and you are keeping things colder than you would a normal refrigerator (ie right at the edge of being able to freeze but not quite) and food lasts longer (milk and meat stay fresh for two weeks or more with no problems if kept like this).
  
  When adding ice, drain only enough water that you can add your ice. Since you've taken the effort to keep everything well sealed this water is clean and can be used for showering, evap cooling, misting, etc.
  
  
  To make your life easier, when transferring water, don't try to use the cooler's drain. Use a small fountain pump (and tubing). Depending on your electric systems at your camp, you can get 5V fountain pumps that plug into a USB port, 12V pumps that will run off of 12V battery systems or 120V pumps that will run off a generator. This in and of itself was a huge deal for me and saved me from making muddy messes in my camp.

My wife and I sleep on this Coleman double size cot.
https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Airbed-Folding-Tables-Battery/dp/B00AU6AVLW/

It comes with an air mattress but i've yet to take it out of the box because it's useless. The listing says it's a queen and it may be if using the air mattress but the cot itself is a dbl. We put an old 4 inch memory foam pad on top with regular flannel sheets and down comforter.

The cot has a carrying case and folds down to about 3'x 8"x 8". I found it for sub $100 open box/return.

It's just about as comfortable as our bed at home and we sleep great at burns. There is a metal spine right down the middle so you can't really sleep comfortably there. Also sex tested and approved!

I mostly manage with sunglasses but for those dust storms I love this style. They aren't 100% dust free since they gave tiny side air holes but that also means they don't fog up or get overly sweaty. They are also lightly padded. Tinted is helpful during the day but make sure you have clear at night.
https://www.amazon.com/Baron-Motorcycle-aviator-Goggles-Night/dp/B001TK7CYM

I have funky shaped acrylic (plastic) glasses, but these fit them perfectly! I'm a virgin burner as well, but the few veterans I know highly recommended them.

This is the one you want: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010YZ4HE/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

We did a double-monkey, and used two of them to great success :)

I also have a very narrow face, and found that these fit me well the last 2 burns. Added bonus, they have transitions lenses (get darker in daylight and clear at night) and cost $17.

The Kodiak is the best tent I have owned. But it breaks the bank. Also, bulky and very heavy. And I love it.

I've used a Coleman Instant Cabin for a few years. It's spacious (8x7 with a 4'10" ceiling) but being made of not canvas is much lighter and smaller. It's held up pretty well and has no permanent venting so dust is easily controlled. You can buy a separate rain fly but it's not required.

These look like the ones I have but them not being safety yellow is a big plus. The ones I have are a few bucks cheaper though. They work fabulously and I decorated mine with E6000 and some jems.
DEWALT DPG82-11/DPG82-11CTR Concealer Clear Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Goggle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A12J3GI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U60kDb0RQ0CPX

I'm going to second the red baron motorcycle googles. They're perfect in every way -- simple and lightweight so you don't mind carrying them around (unlike those huge ski goggles), they seal around your eyes and are comfortable (you just need to duct tape over the little vents on either side), and they send you both the clear night and tinted day versions. They do start to deteriorate after a few years, so we tend to re-up every year and now we have a fairly large collection in our container in varying stages of decay but all still usable enough that we can pass them around to folks in need. I also take some more fashion-conscious goggles, but the red barons are what I'm actually wearing 90% of the time.

And sure, some people may not need goggles.. but don't take that chance if it's your first time. I wear contacts and I absolutely 100% require goggles out there. I've only ever left camp without a set once. Never again.

Based on how big of a space you need you probably will need a pretty heavy duty fan.

I chose the Endless Breeze that has been discussed endlessly (haha!) for oversized swamp coolers (2.6 amps for 920cfm):
https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-01100WH-Endless-Breeze-Stand/dp/B0000AY2Z6

Also, this one is a new one that I don't know how effective it is but moves a good amount of more air (2.8 amps for 1700):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JI0KOWG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you want a really good look into the history of BM and a behind-the-scenes type of view, I highly suggest checking out Scribe's (author of the article) book "The Tribes of Burning Man" I've been a burner for 5 years and there is SO much that I learned from his book. It gave me a new-found respect for many aspects of the event that I just didn't have any info on.

This is a great 12v fan: https://amzn.com/B0000AY2Z6

Here's a better link: http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000010387-4-Person-Instant-Tent/dp/B004E4AVY8/

I would be hugely skeptical of bringing a Coleman tent to Burning man, for several reasons:

Coleman has cheaped out excessively on their design and outsourced construction to China. Presumably to keep selling to Walmart who value cheap over quality. I very much doubt that a Coleman tent would survive a major wind storm.

Every Coleman tent I've looked at in the last decade could not be sealed against dust. They all have open mesh windows that can't be sealed.

Note that this isn't specific to Coleman. I couldn't find a tent at REI that could be sealed either.

Springbar and Kodiak make good tents for Burning Man. However, they're expensive and heavy.

I've been using a Eureka Equinox successfully for many years.

You want a wax based chain lube. Most others will attract playa dust, but this does a pretty good job (all things considered) at keeping the dust at bay.

Someone gifted me these last year, and I really liked them. Kept the dust out, and could go over my sunglasses, so I didn't have to carry two pairs for day/night like previous years.

Something like thismight help. You might also think about trimming it back a little shorter for the burn. It will grow back.

I recently bought these transition lens goggles on Amazon, I read good reviews on there and ePlaya.

I have beaten the hell out of these on my backpacks and they hold up well. The plug-ins are also very nice.

Otherwise these guys are good for small, easy to use, and easily transferable lights (bring extra batteries!)

This stake puller is a game changer for getting rebar out of the playa. It uses simple leverage to instantly pop the rebar right out of the ground, no super strength required, no cut hands, no pulled shoulder muscles, no hassle. We've used one of these for years and it was the best 60 bucks our camp ever spent.

These are inexpensive and fit over glasses just fine in a pinch: DeWalt We dress em up a bit with decorations.

A piece of PVC pipe, some LED strips or EL Wire zip tied around it in a spiral and there ya go. You could make something like that in 20 minutes.

To do it on the cheap and easy, order these, each strand is 9ft long. Take the battery pack to Home Depot and find a 10ft length of PVC that it will fit inside of, probably 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" and get a couple end caps.

Drill a hole in the end caps and stuff the battery packs inside each end, run the EL Wire out the hold and around the pole. Zip tie in place and there ya go.

Not fancy or anything, but dead simple and cheap. LED strips would be brighter.

An LED strip like this rigged to a 12v power supply, batteries stuffed into the PVC would work and be a lot brighter. Plus you'd have a remote for changing the colors.

amazon has them for $21 and free shipping.

You need a free flowing spout- so it depends on your shower bag. You also need to attach paper towels to it. I use this five gallon water tank. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00168PI4S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425493367&sr=8-1&keywords=five+gallon+water+camp+dispenser&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41o89IV63%2BL&ref=plSrch

Right - now that you mention it I remember you talking in a thread a few weeks back about making these

I don’t doubt that they’re indestructible. They look it.

Just sayin that these are pretty cheap and I’d be pretty surprised if you could find anything on playa that could damage them.

For example:

ALITOVE WS2811 12mm Diffused Digital RGB LED Pixel Light Individually Addressable Round LED Pixels Module IP68 Waterproof DC 5V 50pcs/set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AG923GI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0wH4AbPADN2FM

Here's the lube (wax based instead of oil based, better for all the dust). https://www.amazon.com/White-Lightning-Clean-Ride-Squeeze/dp/B0016ZXE06/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=white+lightning&qid=1566270921&s=gateway&sr=8-10

Just clip a couple of these to your backpack. Easy peasy.

I just bought a special dust mask as a result of this research, check this out

Easy-to-swallow tablets.

Take em each morning/night with your multi-vitamin and fiber pills. Keep yer pipes real healthy.

I recommend this tent:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004E4AVY8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Something to hold the tent down:
http://www.ironmonkeyarts.org/playa-staples.html

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AU6AVLW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469842553&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=coleman+queen+airbed+cot&dpPl=1&dpID=41AyH1aznUL&ref=plSrch

This is what we have used for the last three years and it is great. The cot gets you up off the ground and it comes with a battery powered pump. If there were to be a problem with the mattress you would still have the cot to sleep on also.

This is the tarp I used, silver side to the sun. It worked very well and is returning this year.

http://www.amazon.com/210200--20-Foot-10-Millimeter-5-5-Ounce-Reversible/dp/B0010YZ4HE/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1374516134&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=heavy+duty+tarp+10+x+20

As far as proper dust mask, I bought this at amazon, is it adaquate?

salt. salt salt salt. salt salt.

take these, I became camp god when I busted these out: https://www.amazon.com/SaltStick-Electrolyte-Replacement-Capsules-Supplement/dp/B002IY96B0

hell, they make a great gift!

backstory: two years ago, I was having trouble staying away from the portos. I was drinking an appropriate amount of water for my weight/body composition in the conditions, and when I tried to cut back on water a little, i started getting dehydrated (slightly), but I was pissing every 15-20. Turns out I wasn't eating much of anything salty.

pop one of those little buggers 3 or so times a day, and you'll be good.

what I use

http://www.amazon.com/Kodiak-Canvas-Flex-Bow-6-Person-Deluxe/dp/B001O02TK4

http://www.amazon.com/Neon-Glowing-Strobing-Electroluminescent-Wires/dp/B003J9BD50/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1407785817&sr=8-2&keywords=el+wire+kit

< 20 $ for a 4 pack...

Elwire isn't expensive...

Velcro Zip Ties + EL wire kit

this

My husband and I have a few of these: http://www.thereadystore.com/5-gallon-stackable-water-container and these http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Water-Carrier-5-Gallon-Blue/dp/B00168PI4S

Reusable and keeps the dust out.

This one for me: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054S92FW/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1L2M8K6J1HN35&colid=2IDBC7ZE307IX

1000 of these: https://www.amazon.com/ALITOVE-LED-Individually-Addressable-Waterproof/dp/B01AG923GI

WS2811 LED Christmas lights
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01AG923GI

https://www.amazon.com/Kodiak-Canvas-Flex-Bow-6-Person-Deluxe/dp/B001O02TK4

I made my own large scale swamp cooler based very loosely on figjams unicooler. I made a box out of 1x2 lumber and lined it with plastic shower surround material then caulked the inside. Cut a hole on one side for the fan and cut a hole on the other side for the pad (air intake)

I used this fan

And this pump

and this pad

I think one place where figjam is just flat out wrong is that he uses too large of a pump. The entire premise of a swamp cooler is that the Ideal Gas Law states that as the phase change occurs and the gas expands, the temperature of the gas is lowered, however for this to happen you want rapid evaporation. If the pad is too wet, it will interfere with evaporation due to cooling the pad itself.

I brought one of those 5 gallon collapsible portable water containers

Fill it up, use it, comes back smaller right?
Nope- It easily slipped from closed to open and leaked all over the inside of our tent. Just what we needed after surviving set up in the rain early Monday morning. :(